


Uno

by atenaglory



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Relationship, a little bit of shakarian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7197794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atenaglory/pseuds/atenaglory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before and after big missions, some of the Normandy team gather in the observation lounge to wind down and socialize over card games. Miranda isn't a regular participant, but after being invited by Shepard, she decides to join them just this once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uno

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! I wrote it for my best friend, who asked me to write about the squad playing card games during their downtime. I hope you enjoy it.

For all her perfection, Miranda Lawson was simply not a people person. Focused, sexy, dedicated, and reliable though she was, she was not a people person. She had never even realized it, either, until she’d casually mentioned to Shepard that she thought it was nice that Shepard could inspire people and earn their trust and dedication. Shepard had considered this for a moment before saying, “Miranda, maybe you’re just not good with people.”

It was true that Miranda did not try to be well-liked. She had gotten her position through skill, and she had a job to get done. A very serious job, in fact. She wasn’t trying to get friendly with anyone now. She maintained professionalism at all times, excepting her recent camaraderie, so to speak, with Shepard. But, hell, even _she_ considered Shepard to be an exception. Miranda had trusted Shepard to help with Oriana, and Shepard had not even hesitated. She’d gotten the job done flawlessly, and had even given Miranda the extra push she’d needed to approach Oriana. Although there were still a lot of complicated feelings about what had happened to Niket, Miranda had started to think that if she had gone through with killing him, she might have started to believe herself an “ice queen” and a “bitch”. In all honestly, Miranda didn’t care what Shepard’s crew, or anyone, thought of her. But Niket was a tricky subject.

Shepard had suggested giving the rest of the team a chance to get to know her. “You might be surprised,” she’d smiled. Surprised? Miranda knew more about these people than Shepard did. What was the point of trying to be friendly now? But Shepard had suggested that, “Even a genetically modified super-woman like you has to work at _something_ , right? If you can develop your people skills, that’ll be _yours_. Not something your father gave you.”

An intriguing, if naïve, idea. Shepard seemed to be full of those.

* * *

 

They were on their way to the derelict Reaper to collect the IFF, and Joker had estimated that it would take a few hours to get there, so the team had gathered in the observation lounge (where the bar was, of course) to play cards. A simple way for them to get to know each other and wind down, card games in the lounge had become the normal way to preface or recover from missions. Kasumi sometimes joined them and sometimes did not, but she never stopped them from using the room as long as they did not interfere with her things.

Tonight’s game was UNO. Simple, maybe a bit juvenile, but an easy way to get the laughter going. As they arranged the couches, Shepard addressed the group.

“Okay, listen up guys. Tonight, I invited Miranda to join us.” A resounding groan in response.

“Shepard,” Garrus began. “I understand what you’re trying to do here, but… Miranda is…”

“She wouldn’t know fun if it bit her in that huge ass of hers,” Jack snorted. “You think I’m going to spend my _free_ time with the Cerberus cheerleader, Shepard?”

Before they could build any more momentum, and before Jacob felt the need to defend Miranda, Shepard raised her voice and said “We are a team. On _and_ off the battlefield. Now we are going to have a good time tonight, and we’ll get to know one of our team members a little better. Understood?”

They responded with a slightly miffed silence. Shepard knew how to work them. She didn’t especially like overusing her “battle-charm,” but she did think that this was important. She couldn’t deny that she was teasing them a little, though. All part of being a charismatic leader.

“Okay, but… if we’re all forcing ourselves to be nice to her, won’t it be a little… awkward?” Tali asked.

“Tali makes a good point, commander. Guess you’ll have to go and uninvite her,” Garrus said, only half-joking. Shepard shot him a scathing look, but before she could respond, Jacob said, “How about this. Let’s arrange the seating a little. The commander and I are the closest to Miranda, so we’ll sit on either side of her. Everyone else is free to sit as close to or far away from her” (a glance in Jack’s direction) “as they’d like.”

“I like the way you think, Jacob,” Shepard said, nodding. “But I still want the rest of you to _try_ to talk to her, alright? Besides, can you think of two better social lubricants than alcohol and UNO?”

They took their seats and grabbed drinks (and emergency induction ports, if necessary) and started to deal.

* * *

 

Miranda approached the door to the lounge. She could hear sounds of mirth and anger from the other side. _Must be quite a game_ , she thought. She hesitated just outside the door’s sensors.

She was Miranda Lawson. Fearless and flawless, there to get the job done no matter what. She was confident and beautiful, and… afraid of rejection? What else would the problem have been? She lingered in front of the door. She had never given anyone’s comments a second thought because she knew that on the battlefield, where it mattered, she was efficient and deadly. But here was different. Here was…

The sound of doors sliding open on her left distracted her from her thoughts.

“Miranda?” Came Thane’s low vibrations. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, I…” She began. What _was_ she doing? She shook her head and took a deep breath before saying, “I was just leaving.”

“You know, Miranda,” Thane said as though he hadn’t heard her. “The Commander truly cares for every one of us. She can’t afford to show it in every action or sentence. She is our leader, and she will continue as long as she draws breath. Even longer, as your work has shown. When I die, she will push on, because if she is lost, so are all of her followers. If she is lost, the galaxy may be lost. But even so, she cares about each person on her team.”

“I know,” Miranda said quietly.

“Do you see this as a weakness?”

“I… No. I know that it’s what makes her who she is, and that it’s why everyone on this ship will follow her lead anywhere. But I’m not her. I don’t need to be liked. Is that wrong?”

Thane considered her words for a moment before gesturing to the lobby door. “You don’t need to be as well-loved as the commander, and you don’t have to love her entire crew. But don’t you wonder what kind of person you resurrected, and who she cares about? She cares about you, too, Miranda.”

* * *

 

The doors slid open with a hiss and the room quieted as the occupants turned to see who was joining them. Naturally, it was Miranda, but they had already played a few rounds and were beginning to think that she wouldn’t show.

“Oh, the cheerleader!” Tali near-shouted, eliciting a snort from Jack. “Cheer for me, because I’ve got UNO!” She brandished her last card.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to show… is Tali drunk?” Miranda was baffled.

Shepard laughed while patting the space left of her on the couch, inviting Miranda to sit. Miranda had never considered how rare it was to hear Shepard laugh. She sat a little awkwardly beside Shepard. Tali and Garrus were sitting on the couch to their right, with Garrus closer to Shepard, Jacob was in a one-seater sofa to their left, and Jack was directly across from them, sprawled out on a three-seater sofa. Even though they didn’t need the extra seats, the sight irritated Miranda. _Typical_ , she thought, rolling her eyes.

Seeing this, Jack stood up and slammed her foot on the table, leaning forward. “Got something to say to me?”

Garrus jumped in, “Now, while I find your dedication to maintaining your mutual hostility admirable, maybe tonight’s score could be settled in a more peaceful way?” He gestured to the cards on the table in front of Jack’s foot.

Jack looked at him for a moment, before pushing off of the table and dropping back into her sofa. Shepard mouthed something to Garrus, who nodded silently. Tali slurred, “Noooo, let them fight!!”

“Whatever. It’s not like the cheerleader could get the stick out of her ass long enough to win a stupid card game.”

“We’ll see,” Miranda said with her usual smugness. Competition, she could do.

“But first,” Shepard said in a low voice. “We need to get you some drinks.”

* * *

 

For a silly kids' game, UNO was intense. Everyone was focused on outdoing everyone else, and when someone got skipped or draw-4’d there was a mix of laughter and exclamations of delight from the rest of the group. When their turns were counterclockwise, Jacob was especially brutal. Miranda couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to get back at her for bossing him around, or if he was just afraid of Jack. Jack and Tali were enjoying themselves by being as harsh and efficient as possible, and tended to win the most often. Shepard and Garrus seemed to be in their own personal competition, saving up their powerful cards to use on each other, or peeking at each other’s hand to spitefully change the color. They were so engrossed in making each other pick up cards that their own hands got further from the coveted “uno”. Miranda had vaguely observed this pattern in their relationship, the banter and the competition, but it had never registered just how… ridiculous it was. She wondered how people who only knew Shepard as “Commander Shepard, hero of the Skyllian Blitz, hero of the Citadel” would feel seeing her out of her armor, guns replaced with colorful cards, grinning deviously and sipping wine coolers.

They chatted while playing, about missions and shore leave, giving Miranda a chance to learn tidbits about each person present. She’d been thinking earlier that she had more info on the crew than Shepard did, but this was different. Up until now, they had mostly been data. Facts. Lines on a datapad. Now, they were people. Tali couldn’t hold her liquor, which was surprisingly delightful. Garrus was… well, everyone knew he admired the commander something fierce, and was perhaps her closest friend on the ship, but was it more than that? Despite his ongoing competition with Shepard, she would sometimes smirk at him or their hands would “accidentally” brush and Miranda swore she could see his brain short out. Hearing him fumble over his words in the aftermath of such occurrences was simply bizarre, especially compared to all his bravado on the battlefield. They had also both leaned forward, and even though they were on separate couches their knees were touching, and eventually Shepard rested her foot on top of Garrus’.

Miranda vaguely wondered what The Illusive Man would think of this development, and couldn’t help laughing to herself. _Serves him right for not listening when I said we should put a chip in her_ , she thought, but she immediately took it back. Shepard deserved her freedom. That included the freedom to flirt with whatever aliens she wanted to.

Jacob was as enthusiastic in UNO as he was about defeating enemies on the battlefield, and it was a change to see him loosen up a little. He rarely laughed around other Cerberus personnel.

And then there was Jack. She was an asshole, but Miranda had to admit that she was the life of this gathering. She fearlessly jabbed at everyone there. Her jokes made Tali cackle, Jacob yell in playful anger, Garrus spout his characteristic sarcastic comebacks, and Shepard grin, responding to Jack’s challenges equally aggressively, although with a humorous lilt in her voice. All reactions that Miranda could not elicit (with the exception of, perhaps, Tali’s drunken laughter). Jack ignored Miranda, however. Miranda had been chatting and even smiling with the others and actually enjoying herself, but Jack’s silence agitated her. She knew it shouldn’t bother her—who the hell cared about Jack anyway?—but she hadn’t dragged her ass out here to be ignored by anyone. Miranda peeked at her hand, a few too many cards but many of them too good to waste, and told Jacob to switch seats with her. Jack scowled at her.

“I thought we could settle our score a little better this way,” Miranda said coolly. Then, smirking, “I will destroy you.”

Jack’s scowl deepened for a moment, but then she laughed dismissively.

“Alright, get your pom-poms ready, then.”

Their competition became even more (ridiculously) serious than Garrus and Shepard, and in the end, after everyone else had gotten rid of their cards, Jack beat Miranda. In spite of herself, Miranda was absolutely furious with this result. She started to make some sort of scathing remark when Jack said, “Wait a minute, is your face red right now? Are you seriously so mad about losing a kids’ game that you’re blushing?”

“I—what!?” Her face was definitely hot, but there was no way this was happening. She probably hadn’t blushed for any reason since she was about ten!

“Aw, she’s at a loss for words,” Jack continued. “I know you must be so in awe of my skill on AND off the battlefield.”

Miranda was frozen, thinking two things at once. First, how humiliating this was. She _knew_ she shouldn’t have come to this silly gathering. Plus, they were drinking before a mission! This had been a bad idea on multiple levels. But second, was Jack joking with her? As nasty as she was about it, Jack was definitely joking around right now, right?

“But Jack,” Tali slurred. “You didn’t- you didn’t even, you couldn’t…”

“You _only_ beat Miranda,” Jacob kindly finished for her. “So probably not awe at your skill so much as an inability to process the fact that she could lose to badly at something.” He laughed and nudged Miranda.

“Today really is something,” Garrus mused. “Seeing Miranda _here_ , seeing Miranda _blushing_ , and seeing Miranda lose. And to _Jack_ , of all people.”

“Watch it, mandibles,” Jack warned. Garrus laughed, but reflexively touched his mouth.

Shepard grinned at Miranda.

“Got about an hour left, Commander,” came Joker’s voice over the intercom. “I know you most of guys probably aren’t more than a little buzzed, but you might want to let Tali sit this one out.”

“Hey, I can, I can hold my gun! I want to see the inside of a Reaper. I want to see what The Illusive Man’s next trap—”

“Ah, Shepard,” Garrus said hastily, glancing at Miranda. “Do you maybe want to go get suited up and get your squad ready?”

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Miranda said, returning to her usual coolness. Her cheeks, however, were still pink.

“Yeah Miranda is alright,” Tali continued. She walked over to Miranda and slapped her across her back. “Aren’t you?”

“Alright, alright,” Shepard said, clearly amused. “Let’s pack it up. It’s been a great evening, but we’ve got some hero work to do. Garrus? Miranda?”

The two stood proudly, and Miranda felt a little more grateful to be chosen than usual. She had genuinely enjoyed herself, and she knew that she had Shepard to thank.

As they left the lounge, Miranda pulled Shepard aside.

“Thanks for tonight, Shepard,” she said quietly.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Shepard patted Miranda’s shoulder. That would bruise.

“Well, you could have told me Jack was going to be there.”

Shepard shrugged. “I took a calculated risk and it all worked out. Now maybe you guys won’t be at each other’s throats all the time.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Miranda smiled. But she had begun to see Jack as a person, too. She quietly admitted to herself that what had happened to Jack was wrong, even if technically an unsupervised outpost wasn’t quite Cerberus. Still, since Niket, it had occurred to her that even Cerberus could betray her someday. Could Shepard?

“Alright, let’s get ready,” Shepard cut into Miranda’s thoughts. “I hope you’re still better at fighting than you are at UNO.”

Miranda smiled.

This was the woman who had stopped her from coldly murdering her oldest friend. The woman who had just gone out of her way just to see that Miranda had a nice evening. The woman who worked tirelessly to help her crew move on from whatever pain they had carried from their past, so that they were proud to work with her and not just obligated. The woman who had died to see that even one more member of her crew would live. She silently thanked Shepard again, concluding that even if Cerberus somehow betrayed her, Shepard would not.

“Oh, Commander?” Miranda called after Shepard, who had already started heading for the elevator.

“Hm?” Shepard turned.

“Maybe you want to give Garrus some space sometimes,” Miranda said with a sly smile. “I think his breathing stopped completely whenever you brushed against him.”

Shepard smirked and walked away, with a tiny bit of extra spring in her step.

Apparently, in addition to being a charismatic leader and a powerhouse of a soldier, Shepard was a person, too.


End file.
